The Longest Night of their Lives
by GinaSw33t
Summary: Helga had been in love with Arnold for years, but something happened that night that shattered everything she ever thought was real. Now, fate has given them a second chance. Will they be able to push aside their self-doubts this time?
1. Remembering that night

_Dear Po3tPink,_

_Hey, how've you been? _

_I figured I might as well go ahead and email you. _

_It's been a while since we last talked.  
_

_Anyway, what's up? How's life? How's school? How's the awesome family?_

_It's been alright with me. School is starting to kill me._

_Do you like the way I wrote this as an actual letter? _

_I thought it would be artistic and such.  
_

_Am I asking too many questions?  
_

_Anyhoo, write back soon. It's always nice to hear from you.  
_

_Sincerely,_

_Blu3h4tLol_

* * *

Helga smiled as she clicked out of her email account and shut off her computer, a little disappointed she didn't have enough time to reply back that morning. She was already running late that day, and as much as she would have loved to write back and tell him all about the past couple of days (which had actually been more interesting than usual), she simply did not have the time.

She loved having an internet companion to talk to, it was much less stressful than talking to someone face to face.

She had been writing to this mystery boy for quite some time now. They discovered each other on Deviant, each sharing the same interests in abstract artwork and tragic poetry. They soon found that they had more in common than just art and literature, and developed a connection that went beyond the boundaries of the internet dial-up. They shared everything with one another; family issues, crazy parents (or grandparents), schoolwork, and more. Yet, what they failed to reveal were their true identities. They both agreed it would be much more exciting and mysterious that way.

She looked at the clock and realized what time it was. "HOLY SHIT - I'm going to be late for school!"

Helga dressed at lightning speed. As a senior in high school, she had changed drastically since fourth grade. Her curves had finally filled out, giving her more of a hourglass shape. Her unibrow was no more; a frantic moment of desperation and angst back in freshmen year resulted in her plucking her eyebrows so hard they never grew back. Luckily they had the perfect arch and framed her face very well. And instead of wearing two pigtails in her hair like she used to, her hair now resembled more of the style that "Cecile" had, her bangs covering one of her eyes and her pretty blond hair cascading down her back. She was quite attractive, if not a little rough around the edges.

No longer limiting herself to a simple pink dress, she now had a wide variety of outfits to choose from. However, most of them were pink, and she still kept her signature bow in her hair, although it was considerably smaller and a little more trendy. Today, she wore a lovely blouse with a matching skirt. As tomboyish as she was, Helga certainly did not dress like it and was very much in touch with her feminine side.

Especially when it came to a certain boy...

She grabbed her backpack and one final glance back in her room to remember any forgotten items was met with a small golden locket on her pillow. It was her fourth grade locket, the one she had kept beside her heart ever since preschool...

Helga shook her head. "I can't go back to that now..." Too painful, too early. Time for school. She rushed downstairs in hopes that she would forget about the locket... for now.

* * *

Helga entered the extremely large Hillwood High, the school she had been attending for 4 years. The halls were crowded with teenagers, grouping together like blood clots in an artery. Some pushed past her as she ventured towards her locker.

School wasn't very different than it was in elementary. Well, actually it in truth it was, but although all the kids were in high school now, they were still pretty much unscathed from the many curve balls life had thrown at them. Very few of them had changed drastically. For instance, Phoebe was still a four-eyed bookworm, although she had become a bit more statuesque and attractive as the years went on. But one thing that had not changed was that she was still Helga's best friend. Since elementary, their friendship had blossomed into something much deeper than simply Phoebe trying to please Helga and Helga bossing her around.

Phoebe popped up beside Helga once she reached her locker. "Hey Helga!"

"Crimony, Pheebs! You know I hate when people sneak up on me!"

Phoebe smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Helga."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Helga collected the books she needed for her classes that day. Phoebe waited impatiently, biting her lower lip and rocking back and forth on her heels, practically spilling over with excitement. Helga glared over at her best friend.

"What's with the sickening cheeriness, Pheebs? You're acting like a rabid fan girl at a Ronnie Matthews concert."

"Ask me about my weekend!"

Helga sighed. "Alright, Pheebs, I'll humor you: What happened this weekend?"

"Oh Helga, you'll never guess what happened to me this weekend!" Phoebe exclaimed while jumping up and down.

"You're right, I won't."

"Gerald finally asked me out!"

Helga stood there with a blank expression. She blinked once.

"I know, I know, it took him a little while, but it's finally happened now! I'm so happy! You have no idea how good this feels!"

"You're right, I don't," Helga mumbled to herself.

"Here he comes! Do I look okay!?"

"Like a million bucks, now pipe down! You're making a scene that I DON'T want to be involved with."

The girls watched as their childhood friend meandered down the hallway. Now, Gerald was one of the few kids that had grown out of their awkward adolescent stage and grown into a becoming young person. He, unlike many of the other guys, underwent a major growth spurt, and was now 6'2" (minus the tall hair) and captain of the basketball team. But he was no less of a great guy because of it. He still told his random and lively stories, and he was still Arnold's best friend.

Gerald met Phoebe halfway. She leaped towards him and they were suddenly locked in a lover's embrace. He looked like the happiest guy alive. And although she couldn't see her face, Helga knew this was one of Phoebe's "special moments" she told Helga she always dreamed of having. It was like something out of a romance novel, cue violin music and all. Helga couldn't help but gag a little bit.

"Disgusting... hey, Pheebs, as fun as it is to watch you snog your boyfriend in the hallway, I think I'd rather pound nails into my forehead. Later."

Helga walked away, not knowing for sure if they heard her or not. They had fallen out of their hug and were now talking intimately, Gerald holding Phoebe's hand oh so gently. Helga let out an annoyed sigh. It was bad enough that Helga herself had never had a boyfriend, but the fact that her best friend, who was even more awkward with guys than she was, got a great looking boyfriend in less than a couple months. It absolutely drove her mad. Helga walked a little more aggressively.

All of a sudden, there was a rapid collision. Helga found herself on the floor in less than a millisecond and her head was hurting terribly. She rubbed her forehead and looked to see who, or what, she had run into.

All of a sudden, her heart stopped beating.

All of a sudden, she felt like she couldn't breathe.

It was him, the boy she had loved ever since she could remember. The one that has been her Muse, her inspiration, her reason to live. The one that had saved her life more than once. It was Arnold. And he was still as beautiful to her as the last time he had seen her, even with the growing bump on his head.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to, I wasn't watching where I was going, that was my fault. Are you oka-?"

He was even beautiful when he stuttered, Helga thought. But he stopped when he realized whom exactly he had run into. Helga could do nothing but stare.

"Oh... hey."

She couldn't even respond to his "hey". That was the effect he always had on her. She couldn't even conjure up a good insult anymore, even if it was half-hearted. Their eyes met with an intense gaze that neither of them could break. The past couple of days replayed themselves in Helga's mind, over and over again, without a pause button or commercial breaks. The awkward silence between them was growing, escalating into a symphony of noiselessness. Arnold was finally brave enough to break it.

"Do you need any... thing? Anything at all? Like, homework help or something?"

Homework... that was the least of her problems. Helga shook her head slowly and got the idea to pick herself off the ground. Once she was up again, she quickly started towards the other side of the hall, hoping to lose him as fast as she could. He stared after her, never breaking his gaze once. She turned around to look at him one more time, but in the process dropped one of her books. She tried to pick it up, but she was walking so fast that she couldn't turn around to catch it in time and ended up tripping over her own feet. Blushing like mad, Helga scrambled to pick herself and the book up and dashed around the corner and into her classroom. Arnold stood behind her, baffled by the entire experience. The bell rang, and he made his way to his class.

* * *

It was a long day for Helga.

First period was a bore, Helga barely able to get her encounter with Arnold out of her mind. She spent the entire class time doodling pictures of the math teacher falling into dark pits of ravenous numbers. All the numbers had wild blond hair.

Second period was better. It was gym class, and she was able to get her mind off Arnold again after slamming a volleyball into some defenseless girl's face. Although she had grown out of her bullying tendencies, Helga still enjoyed creaming others in competitions involving sports. It was a great replacement for therapy. After the child therapist had left P.S. 118 for bigger and better things, Helga didn't really have anyone left to talk to about... certain things. She smirked to herself as she watched the girl take herself to the nurse's office.

Third period was science. They dissected a pig. It was gruesome, even for Helga, but kind of funny watching everyone else cringe at the sight of body organs.

Fourth period Creative Writing was her favorite, mostly for being the last period of the day, but also because Phoebe was in it, along with most of the other kids she knew from elementary. Being known throughout the school as an "easy A", Creative Writing was a popular choice for many bored seniors wanting to take an interesting class before they left public school forever. There was Rhonda, still the popular and superficial rich girl, and her best friend Nadine, who followed her around like a lost puppy; Harold, who had surprisingly gotten fatter, but failed to lose his rotten attitude towards others; Stinky, who had grown in height but not in smarts; Curly, who hadn't grown an inch and was still considered the school psychopath; Sid, who was still an avid mysophobic; and Sheena, who had not cut her hair since fourth grade and wore peace signs on her jeans. Unfortunately, Arnold was included in this group, showing a sudden enthusiasm for good literature. Needless to say, there was never a dull day in this class.

"Alright, class," the teacher commanded the room's full attention. "I'm passing back your poetry projects. While most of you did excellent, some of you could have put a LITTLE more effort into it. Not naming any names or anything, cough HAROLD cough."

Harold sneered in his seat. "What am I supposed to know about i-am-ick pentameters or whatever?"

"They're actually quite whimsical and entertaining, if you ask me," piped Eugene from the front and center desk. Time had been kind to Eugene; he had grown out of his clumsy demeanor and was actually one of the most suitable bachelors in the school. His sweet and happy-go-lucky persona had not changed, and made him even cuter to most of the girls. His freckles and orange hair only added on to his attractiveness.

Harold pointed a fat finger in the boy's direction, "Shut up, you jinx! Poetry is STUPID! S-T-U-P-D Stupid! And I don't care about it!"

The teacher scorned back, "That's why you failed this project. Better luck next time." She handed him a paper that had a giant red "F" at the top.

The entire class snickered at the overweight boy as he pouted in his seat. Helga rolled her eyes at the kid and thought to herself, "Stupid fat boy, he wouldn't know beautiful poetry if it bit him in his gluteus maximus..."

The teacher put Helga's work on her desk. "Nice work Helga, as always," she whispered with a wink in her eye, "It's always nice to hear from you. Your work is some of the best I've ever written, especially for a high school student!"

Helga smiled to herself. She loved writing poetry, but she loved it more when someone else was affected so greatly by it as well. It gave her a sense of accomplishment and pride. But the teacher also reminded her to write back her internet friend. Maybe he'd want to hear some of her work...

"Umm, Miss Teacher?" Stinky raised his hand, speaking in his heavy Southern accent.

"Yes, Stinky?"

"You gave me an 'I' for my project, what does that mean? Did I do really, really badly?"

"No, Stinky," she reassured. "It just means you didn't finish it completely. I stands for Incomplete. Just finish the rest and hand back in tomorrow."

"But I did finish it!"

"You completely left out half of the last sentence."

"How could I have _completely _left it out and get an _incomplete_?"

Harold grabbed his head and screamed, "I'm so confused!"

The class burst out into laughter as the teacher shook her and head and pinched the skin between her eyebrows. Helga wasn't paying much attention, working on another poetic creation as she waited for the class to regain its composure. Suddenly, somebody snatched the paper right from her hands.

"Oh, what's this Helga? A love letter?" Sid cackled as he crumpled her work a little bit.

"Give it back, nose boy! It's none of your business."

"Why are you getting so defense about it? What's it say, anyway..." Sid began to read it. Helga grew panicked; it was something very personal, a confession of sorts, and the last person she wanted to read it first was SID.

Helga quickly snatched it back. "Here, I'll read it for you _nose face._" Helga cleared her throat and spoke very loudly, enunciating every word perfectly. "There once was a kid named Sid, who never shut his lid. His nose was too big, and he looked like a pig, and then he went home and cried."

The class burst out into another round of laughter. Sid blushed and hid his face under his hat. Helga smiled triumphantly, proud of her winning wisecrack. She might be 18 now, and a little more mature than she was 10 years ago, but she would never grow out of a good insult.

The bell rang. The kids scrambled out of their seats and out of the room, anxious to get home and do something fun. The teacher yelled after them to remember to _fully complete _the homework she assigned them this weekend. Helga took her time, knowing it would take a while to navigate her way through the busy halls. All of her books managed to slip off her desk and onto the floor again, so she let out a defeated sigh and proceeded to pick them back up.

A helping hand offered to assist. Helga looked up to see who it was. It was the same beautiful, blond-haired boy she had run into earlier: _Arnold_. She pushed him away.

"I can do it myself, Football Head, I don't need your help." she said softly. Calling him "Football Head" was more of a term of endearment than an insult nowadays, which they both eventually came to accept. Arnold kind of liked the way she said it, in a way. He wore a worried look on his face.

"It's just that... I never got a chance to talk to you about... the other night. And I really want to. I feel like we have unfinished business."

Helga gathered her books in her arms and made her way to the door. "There's nothing to left talk about. I think you made yourself pretty clear when you... when you..."

She couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence without tearing up. Arnold's face fell into a dark frown. The look broke Helga's heart, but it was nothing compared to the aching she had felt so many nights ago. She swallowed a lump in her throat and turned her back on him, ready to leave, when another hand touched on her shoulder. She froze in her tracks.

"That's the thing... I didn't want it to end that way. In fact, there's something I've been meaning to tell you for a long time..."

"Save it, Arnold. I can't..."

"You can't what?"

"I just can't!" Helga's voice became high pitched and girly on that last "can't". She blushed and raced out the door, leaving Arnold alone with his own thoughts once again. In the empty hallway, Helga turned back and whispered just loud enough to echo off the walls, but quiet enough for only her to hear,

"I just can't love you anymore. It hurts too much..."

* * *

Helga ran all the way home and straight up into her bedroom. Fortunately for her, no one was home, so she could mope with herself in silence. Bob was working overtime at the Beeper Imporium and Mirium was at her weekly AA meeting. Olga, thank God, wasn't coming home for another couple of months, on account that she was busy doing charity work for orphaned children in Africa. Nobody would be home for hours.

Helga laid on her bed for a while, defeated from the long day at school. She felt like she would never finish it. Graduation was pretty close, but the days just seemed to draw themselves out longer and longer, causing all the seniors to think they were trapped in a never ending void.

After a few minutes, she decided to get SOME of her homework done before she got too discouraged. She opened up her laptop and saw the email from Blu3h4tLol still open from this morning. She grinned to herself, thinking aloud, "I guess I have time for one quick little email. I'll make it fast."

* * *

_Dear Blu3h4tLol,_

_Sorry it's taken so long, been busy with stuff. I'll try to write last few days have been kind of exciting, promise I'll write more later. Nothing's up, life is good, school is bad, awesome family is just SO awesome. I hope you can detect the sarcasm there. I did like how you wrote it as an actual letter, I feel like Juliet or Rapunzel or something receiving a letter from her beloved. Ha ha. No you're not asking too many questions. If you're in the artsy mood, I've got a piece of poetry I'd like to share with you if that's okay. I wrote it myself a few years ago, I hope you like it. Maybe you'll want to read more of my magnificent masterpieces? Sarcasm there too. _

_It's nice to hear from you as well. Write back soon._

_---  
_

_Cowlicks, like fields of yellow corn,_

_All the days of the week,_

_I write the name I dare not speak._

_The boy with the cornflower hair,_

_My beloved, and my despair._

_Sincerely,_

_Po3tPink  
_


	2. Waking up to a sunrise

**Thanks for reviewing everyone!**

**I didn't have an Author's Note last chapter so my annoying comments wouldn't distract from the actual story.  
**

**To answers some questions you may have, I do plan on making this story fairly long, ten chapters minimum. Although I'm used to writing short stories, I'll try to write more as it comes to me. Expect every chapter to be long and fufilling!**

**One more thing, it's kind of important. While mid-writing on chapter 3, I decided to change the plot a little bit. Not by much, but I decided that that internet buddy isn't going to be such a prominent character. Don't fret! The rest of the story line is going to be the same. So basically, disregard anything I said about the internet guy being important. He's not. That's all folks, thanks for reading, and enjoying two more chapters!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Hey Arnold and I am not gaining any profit from writing this. The only compensation I get is the joy of others. I know, I'm a born romantic.  
**

**

* * *

**"Oh Arnold... my love... don't leave me... Arnold..."

Helga awakened from her uneasy slumber and sat up, troubled by her dream. She rubbed her eyes and groggily looked over at the clock: 4:45 A.M. Too early to wake up, too late to try and fall back asleep. She would just have to get up in another hour or so anyway. She let out a miserable moan and climbed out of bed, ungracefully. Her arm knocked over something that fell on the floor and made an impressively loud CLUNK. An agitated groan escaped her lips as she rummaged about the floor, searching for the dropped item.

Her hands came across an all-too familiar heart-shaped locket. Inside was a picture of a handsome young boy, with blond hair and a little blue baseball cap. Helga traced the edges, remembering back to her elementary school days of unrequited love and adoration. She smiled, childhood memories flooding her mind. She couldn't help but laugh a little at her past immaturity. She had grown out of her childish bullying of Arnold once puberty hit, inspiring her to shed her awkward 9-year-old skin and finally blossom into a charming young woman. While she knew she would never be as pretty as her older sister (in her opinion), she wasn't so insecure anymore, and actually enjoyed girlish activities, such as makeup wearing and clothes shopping. However, she never passed up a good game of baseball, and she would never give up her enthusiasm for wrestling.

"Arnold... what happened to us..."

Her wish for his love had come true, after years of pining after him in secret. But it wasn't exactly what she had dreamed of.

She tucked the locket into a drawer and stood up, stretching. She decided to venture downstairs and make herself an early breakfast. She carefully placed the locket in a drawer and tiptoed across the room, aware of the flimsy floorboards that made loud creaks whenever you stepped on them.

Helga walked through the dark and lonely house, not hearing a sound. Funny, her parents were usually home by now. She peeked into their bedroom. Mirium was passed out around a couple dozen bottles of liquor, snoring like a lumberjack. Helga rolled her eyes. So much for the AA meetings.

Her mom had been an alcoholic ever since she could remember. Once when she was five, Helga saw her mother mixing some strange pills in her drink in the kitchen after an argument she had with Bob. She was out for days after that. Helga couldn't really blame her, though. Bob never came home without lipstick on his face and a faint scent of perfume on his clothes. She wished her mother at least had the balls to leave him, instead of drowning her sorrows in liquor.

Bob was nowhere to be found. Not even a note on the fridge. He used to write them almost everyday, scribbling lies on unsuspecting paper:

"Working overtime, be back by dinner. Make sure you grill the steak right this time, Mirium. - Bob"

"Conference call. Working late. Be home after dinner. - Bob"

"Big beeper imports, don't know when I'll be home. - Bob"

As time went on, the excuses got less and less amusing and more pathetic.

"Office dinner. - Bob"

"New employee training. - Bob"

"Work. - Bob"

Lately, Mirium did nothing but sit and stare out the window, looking out at the city for hours while waiting for her husband. Sure, she was a bit of an airhead. And neglectful. And a terrible mother. But she was still a human being capable of love and deep emotion. All she wanted, and deserved (in Helga's opinion) was just a bit in return.

Helga was used to being ignored in her family. Heck, after a while she didn't really mind. It helped her get away with a lot of things, especially when Olga was over. Whenever she came to visit, their parents put aside their differences and showered her with attention. This allowed Helga to accomplish many tasks, including sneaking out of the house to go to parties, or going to a late night concert at the local club.

Or sitting on a rooftop, watching the stars with the boy of her dreams.

For example, there was this one time Helga had climbed out of her window to go clubbing with the girls for the night, and ended up half-naked in a city cab in the middle of Central Park, surrounded by a bunch of zucchinis and high people. Helga somehow made it back to her house by using a bed sheet to jump from roof to roof. Too tired to climb back through her window, Helga simply walked into her house through the front door and was greeted by her father in the kitchen, and by then it was 6 A.M.

"Mornin', Olga."

"It's Helga, Bob."

But that's another story...

And one that couldn't even compare to the joy of the night before.

Helga opened the note-less fridge and grabbed a pack of sugar free jell-o. Ever since the pork rinds incident, Helga wasn't so trustful of junk food. While she wasn't exactly the epitome of health, she certainly stayed away from the salted goods. She sat at the dining room table and cast her eyes out the window. She watched the sky, and saw a hint of orange in the distance.

She chose to go outside and wait for the sunrise.

Still in her nightgown, she quietly crept out of her house and into the night. She gazed up at the stars, watching them twinkle and dance in the sky. They reminded her of Arnold, the way his eyes twinkled whenever he looked at her. It was still dark, but the sun was slowly rising above the horizon, as if it were only just awakening itself. She sat on her stoop, scooping out the jell-o in little bites, waiting for the early morning miracle.

* * *

Arnold couldn't sleep. He hadn't been able to sleep for days. Even the sleep aids his grandparents gave him seemed to have no effect on the young teenager. There had been something on his mind ever since that fateful night on the roof, clawing at his heart, never allowing him a moment of rest and escape from his conscious mind.

Of course, he knew exactly why. It started with an H and ended with an A.

Helga.

He breathed in and out, staring at nothing. He had closed his shades on all the windows because the moon was bright that night, and he thought that he'd sleep better in the darkness. It didn't work however; his eyes were playing tricks on him, and he saw shadows in every dark corner of his room.

He jumped out of his bed, finally giving up on sleep. He drowsily walked towards his bathroom, feeling a sudden urge to release his bowels. As he walked past the mirror, he noticed his sleepless face in the mirror. He stared at the dark circles under his eyes, touching them lightly in case he would deepen the crow's feet. He sighed heavily, wishing for a second that he could just forget about that night and get some sleep.

He quickly took that back. He wouldn't give up the memory of that night, not for all the sleep and the dreams in the world.

_"Arnold?"_

_She admired him with those adoring eyes, overflowing with love that leaked into her smile._

_"This is the best night of my life."_

_Her hair in the moonlight... a beautiful, silky blond that flowed downwards like a river on her back..._

_He moved closer and closer to her lips, ready to risk it all for this one night._

_"I never want this to end."_

_And then they kissed. And kissing her was more amazing than he had ever dreamed._

_But then, she was fading away, fading into the gloomy city, and he heard a blood-curdling scream..._

Arnold snapped himself back into reality. He raised his arms to rub his temples, and in the process managed to knock over a bottle of Ibuprofen. It hit the floor and spilled little red pills all over the floor, and Arnold scrambled to pick them back up again. Before he could gather his thoughts again, he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Shortman?" an elderly voice asked.

"Yeah, Grandpa?"

"I heard a racket and woke up, what in the heck are you doing?"

Arnold let out a deep breath and walked to the door. He opened it slowly and stared at his grandpa with a sullen expression.

"Geez, Arnold, you look like you've got a case of malaria. You okay?"

Arnold couldn't help but smile at his guardian's concern. His grandfather had raised him since he was a tot, and although he was getting very old he still had a lot of life left in him. Never shying away when Arnold asked him for help, Phil was always there to provide support and love for his beloved grandson. Arnold felt very lucky; even though he missed his parents very much, he was happy with his grandparents and the boarders.

"I'm fine, grandpa. I just couldn't get to sleep again."

Grandpa scratched his head. "You know, my father always told me there's only two causes for insomnia. A bad case of the runs, or a bad case of lovesickness."

Arnold's heart skipped a beat when his grandpa said "love". He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"Come downstairs for a bit, since I'm guessing you're not getting to sleep anytime soon I want to talk to you about something."

Arnold followed him downstairs and out of his bedroom the attic. They were careful not to stir any of the other boarders of Sunset Arms; if any of them were woken by their activities, they would never hear the end of it.

Grandpa set him down at the kitchen table and made him a hot cup of herbal tea. The insomnia had begun to really hit Arnold, as he struggled to concentrate on his tea. His head hurt like it had been hit with a bowling ball. He grasped his forehead as he struggled to keep himself from passing out.

"What's in this tea, grandpa?"

"Eh, some sort of weird ingredient. I think Pookie said it was imported from the Amazon. Or was it Vietnam?"

Arnold couldn't help but be a bit frightened to hear that the tea was his grandmother's. She had gotten crazier over the years, sometimes disappearing for days at a time before coming home with an armload of goodies for the entire apartment. One time, she was gone for a week without telling anyone, and returned wearing nothing but a skimpy toga and a bowl of fruit on her head. With her she brought home a spear made out of elephant tusks, a box of plantains, and a live platypus, adding on to the crazy number of animals they already owned. Grandpa scolded her for a good hour, but they quickly made up when grandma gave him one of her famous "tiger kisses". Arnold was a romantic himself, but even he couldn't stomach the sight.

His grandpa sat down on the other end of the table.

"Tell me what's been on your mind, shortman. You've done nothing but mope around and sigh for days."

Arnold stared intently at his grandfather, then went back to staring at his drink. That's all he seemed to be doing lately was stare, stare, stare. And he was never looking at anything in particular. It was like he was trying to see something that wasn't there.

"I don't know, grandpa... I'm so mixed up. I've never felt this way before. I'm so confused. Everything's weird now and I don't know what to do to feel normal again."

Grandpa sat for a moment and pondered his grandson's words. He rubbed his chin with his hand, entranced in deep thought. He looked straight into his grandson's eyes with wisdom and determination.

"It sounds like you're in love, sprout."

Arnold shot up at the word "love" again. He almost spilled his tea in the process. He sighed and look back down.

"I don't know... I thought I was in love before, with... you know, _Lila_. But this doesn't even compare. Doesn't even come close."

Grandpa's eyes narrowed. "That girl was no good, I'm telling ya! You never should have gone steady with her in the first place."

Arnold sighed, suddenly feeling a tinge of melancholy. "I know, it was a big mistake."

His grandpa raised an eyebrow. "Maybe it didn't turn out the way you thought it would?"

Arnold's body was tense now. Arnold wasn't the type to cry over spilled milk, but the mention of Lila made his heart quiver like a pair of nervous knees, as his grandpa would put it.

"She wasn't at all what I wished for."

Grandpa continued to look him in the eyes.

"Maybe it's time you let go of her for good."

Arnold didn't respond for a few minutes. His cup was empty now, a little bit of the tea bag's contents left at the bottom. He swirled it around in a circle, wondering if it would contort itself into a shape that would tell him something. Something that he could actually understand.

"Love isn't about perfection, sprout. In fact, nothing about it is perfect. Look at me and Pookie! Married for fifty, sixty years and still going strong. Sure, she's a little crazy and sometimes she does things that baffle the heck outta me... but I still love to her pieces. All of her, even the crazy parts. I never thought I'd end up with someone like her, not in a million years... but thank gosh I did, because I couldn't be happier. Sometimes life surprises you with something unexpected. It could be bad, it could be worse, it could even be the most terrible, horrible thing that's ever happened to you. But it could also be the best thing that you've ever had. You just have to learn to take a chance and risk everything."

Grandpa stood up and put his hand on Arnold's shoulder. "Don't let this one go, shortman. She could be everything you wished for and more. But you'll never know if you don't give it a shot."

He was about to leave the room when Arnold finally spoke up.

"Thank you, Grandpa." He was actually smiling again.

Grandpa returned the grin. "Anytime, shortman!" He began to walk back to his bedroom quietly.

"Wait, grandpa!"

"What is it, shortman?"

"What _really_ woke you up? All I did was drop a bottle of Ibuprofen, and it didn't make that much noise."

Grandpa grabbed his stomach as it started to rumble. He gave Arnold a jolly smile.

"Bad case of the runs."

Arnold laughed with him before he made a run to the bathroom.

* * *

**Sorry it's a been an uneventful chapter. Things will pick up the pace once I get going.**

**Reviews are greatly appreciated and very inspiring!  
**


	3. Choose your battles wisely

Lila glared viciously at her latest victim, never relenting, not a moment of mercy.

Helga backed further against the wall. _What am I DOING?_ she thought to herself. _Ten years ago, I would have never let myself get intimidated by Little Miss Perfect. What's wrong with me?_

Lila had changed more than anyone else. The sweet, innocent country girl had been replaced by a ruthless, backstabbing harpy, hellbent on making everybody else as miserable as she was. She no longer wore the lovely plaid dress she used to, but instead dressed in a low-cut blouse and a too short mini skirt. It was a miracle she was never sent to the school office for violation of the dress code.

So what happened to the polite little girl that everyone used to know and love? Years of abuse at the hands of her poor, lonely father made her cold and heartless. They would have felt sorry for her if she had not made it her life's work to ruin everybody else's. At first, her spirit was strong, as she constantly looked at the bright side and tried to stay optimistic. But over time, as things with her father spiraled out of control, her spirit began to crumble, and her genuine smiles became something of a legend. Now, any smile she might have flashed was faked, and any act of kindness was soon followed by an act of evil, stabbing you in the back before you even noticed she was standing behind you.

Helga tried her best to keep her composure, but inside she was breaking down. Even the toughest girls fell to insecurity when confronted by Lila. She always found a way to sink her venom into the deepest and most protected corners of your heart, leaving you bruised and broken for days to come. Helga herself had fallen victim the wrath of Lila, many, many times before. But she never let Lila bother her before. And Lila had never been this angry.

Helga knew why. Lila had dated Arnold, a long time ago back in freshmen year. Lila insisted that she never really liked Arnold that much, even though it was quite obvious that she had fallen in love with the boy. He loved her too, or so he thought, but the relationship didn't last very long due to Lila's superficiality. Claiming he wanted a girlfriend who wasn't so spiteful, Arnold broke it off, and Lila never recovered. Sure, she dated other guys. Lots and lots and LOTS of other guys. But she never really got over Arnold. She considered Arnold her property, belonging to her and only her. Any girl who even so much as talked to the kid received a monstrous "heart-to-heart" from Lila.

One time, when they were sophomores, a cute freshmen girl had started to flirt with Arnold during class. Soon after, Lila got her hands on her, and the poor little freshmen was never seen or heard from again. There were rumors that she had simply switched schools, but some say she tried to off herself and was sent to the psych ward.

"So, _Helga_, would you like to tell me what happened between you and Arnold last Saturday?" She tried her best to sound sugary sweet, but the venom snaked through her words.

Helga gulped, surprised the story had already made its way around school. She certainly didn't tell anyone, except Phoebe, and she knew Phoebe would never tell a soul. She didn't think Arnold would tell, either, he wasn't that kind of guy. She smiled warmly, trying to keep her insides from spilling out into her expression, but it only angered Lila even more.

"I'm surprised you heard about it, Lila. I'm _ever so certain_ neither one of us told anybody," Helga crooned in a mocking voice.

Lila looked like she was about to tear Helga's eyes out.

"Don't mock me, you ugly little cretin," she snapped. Helga was not impressed. "Now, why don't you tell me why you were with _my_ Arnold before I claw the information out of you?"

Helga would have made a run for it ages ago, but she wasn't one to back off from a good fight. She found an occasional scuffle entertaining from here to there, although she was pretty certain Lila would kill her if she had the chance. The adrenaline was beginning to pump through her veins. A crowd was beginning to form, and some even had the guts to start chanting.

Helga crossed her arms. "You don't scare me." A blatant lie. But it didn't show on her face. Helga sported a cocky smirk, playing with fire that she was certain would burn her. Lila got up close and in her face, breathing so hard Helga could smell what she had eaten for lunch that day. She could see the freckles on her nose, remnants of her elementary school days.

"You'll regret that, bitch."

Before Helga realized what was happening, she found herself on the floor, barely able to see straight. She felt no pain, but some sort of dizzy spinning in her head that wouldn't let her focus. She was sure she'd been hit, but wasn't aware how hard, or with what object. Lila stood above her, glaring down as if Helga were some worthless vermin to get rid of.

The crowd had grown to an enormous size, and the people were cheering. They hissed and booed and made bets on who would die first. No teachers in sight to stop the nonsense, no end in sight. Helga grabbed one of Lila's pigtails and yanked as hard as she could, sending the redhead to the ground. She hit the floor face first, and Helga thought she saw a piece of tooth fly across the hall. She climbed to her feet and started to run, but a hand reached for her ankle and she almost lost her balance. Perfectly sculpted nails dug into her skin. Helga used her other free leg to kick Lila's face. She was stunned for a moment, then somehow managed to pull herself up and back on her feet. Helga was about to walk away from the entire thing when Lila grasped her shoulder and spun her around. With all of her might, Lila served a knuckle sandwich to the former bully. Helga let out a high pitched scream before letting lose Ol' Betsy and the Five Avengers. She wailed on Lila for what seemed like hours before she stopped. Lila was on the floor again, but this time she was crying tears of defeat.

Helga was breathing hard. It had been years since she'd used her fists with such rage. It gave her a sense of accomplishment, seeing her worst nemesis on the ground in tears by her hand. Yet, she couldn't help but feel kind of... bad for Lila. It wasn't her fault her dad abused her. Then again, it wasn't anybody else's fault either. She was about to flee the scene when she saw a familiar face lurking in the crowd.

Arnold.

He pushed through the crowd as it began to disperse. "Helga!"

He ran over to her, wearing an anxious expression on his face. He really looked genuinely worried for her.

"Helga, are you okay?"

She gave him a blank stare. Still feeling a bit light-headed, she put a hand on her head and supported her weight against the well. Arnold held her gently in his arms, so she could steady herself. Helga's cheeks flushed madly at his touch.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, you don't have to look at me like that Football Head..."

Arnold still looked concerned. "I'm sorry, I just want to make sure you're really okay. I heard the yelling and-"

"Yeah, yeah. Little Miss I-Rule-The-World started hollering at me for some stupid reason. I had to do something, she wouldn't shut her friggen mouth."

Helga felt like she was okay enough to stand without the wall, so she let go and Arnold released his grasp on her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was the fight about?"

Helga's eyes darted back and forth as she began to stutter.

"Uh, um, uh, it was nothing important. I looked at her shoes funny or whatever."

Arnold frowned. "It was about me, wasn't it?"

Helga suddenly felt uncomfortable standing there with her former crush. She realized how embarrassing the whole incident had been. She hadn't talked to him for days, and the last time had been kind of dramatic. Now here they were again, brought back together by the hands of fate, as if they would never escape each other. Not that she really wanted to be away from him, she only wished things weren't so awkward, and more like they had been that night. It was so hard to talk to him now, even when they were alone...

The number of people in the hall dwindled as kids flocked into their third period classes, and soon there was only them. She shuffled her feet and began inching away from him.

"Listen Arnold, I have to get going. Don't feel the need to follow me or make sure I'm okay again or anything, I'll be fine. Alright?" She was walking away. "I'll see you later."

"But, Helga-"

"Really. I don't need closure or anything like that. I'm _okay_."

She grabbed the bag she had discarded on the ground before the fight and slung it across her shoulder. She turned around, eyes focused on Arnold.

"Just don't be such a stranger. That's all I ask from you."

She disappeared down the hall, and Arnold was left in an empty hallway as the bell rang.

* * *

Phoebe met Helga by her locker at the end of the day, as usual, and this time without Gerald.

"Helga! I was wondering if you'd like to come over tonight and maybe have a movie night sleepover!"

Phoebe looked just as excited to have Helga over as she did whenever she saw Gerald. Except perhaps in a different way. Her big, brown eyes begged Helga to accept.

Helga, on the other hand, was not in the mood for another one of Phoebe's chick flick marathons, especially after what happened with Lila and Arnold today. The last thing she needed was a load of sappy movies to make her feel even worse about her empty love life. She sadly shook her head, denying as politely as she could and trying not to hurt her best friend's feelings.

"Not tonight, Pheebs, I don't feel that good."

"Oh please, Helga? Please please pretty please? My parents won't be home tonight because they're going on their 14th Honeymoon, and I don't want to be alone!"

_Alone for one night, big friggen deal,_ Helga thought. _I'm always alone._

"No thank you, Pheebs. I've had a bad day and I just want to go home and feel sorry for myself." Helga replied, a hint of growing annoyance in her voice. Phoebe didn't get the message.

"Aww, come on Helga! Just for a little while then? We don't even have to watch my movies, we can watch yours! Anything you want! Please please please please please please please-"

"JESUS CHRIST HYERDAHL, I said no! What part of that can you not get through your thick skull?"

Phoebe's face fell, and it practically broke Helga's heart. She was close to tears. Helga mentally slapped herself in the face.

"Shucks, Phoebe... I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I had a bad day but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're not that one I'm angry at."

Phoebe's eyes fixed on a spot on the ground. She shuffled her feet. "It's okay, I guess..."

There was silence for a long time. Helga shoved the rest of her belongings back in her locker and slammed the door shut. She faced Phoebe.

"Look, I can't come over right after school. But I promise I'll visit you later tonight, after dark, so you won't be so alone. Sound good?"

Phoebe wiped her eyes and gave Helga a small smile. She nodded her head, "Sure, just be sure to do our secret knock on the door so I know it's you."

Helga smiled back. "Sure thing, Pheebs. Seeya later."

* * *

Helga ran all the way home from school that day. On the way there it started to sprinkle, then it started to rain, and then there was an epic downpour that Helga, to her dismay, found herself in the middle of. She felt as dreary and downhearted as the weather. With no raincoat or umbrella to keep dry, Helga was soon soaked to the bone.

"Damn this rain," she said to herself. It reminded her of that day in preschool, when the rain had tumbled down in her lonely 5 year old self. Except this time, there was no kindhearted football head to share an umbrella with her.

She finally reached the door, and, upon finding it locked, searched unsuccessfully for the key in her pocket. Her finger poked through a hole, and she let out an exasperated sigh that rivaled the volume of the rain. She pounded on the door aggressively.

"MIRIUM! BOB! Open the damn door, I'm sopping wet out here!"

She stood there pounding for what seemed like hours before someone finally responded. Big Bob swung the door open, almost taking it off its hinges. He glowered down from his high pedestal. Bob was a big guy already, but his 4 hour daily workout, doctor recommended after his second heart attack, made his muscles bulge out like mountains on his arms and legs.

"What the hell are you banging on the door for, missy? And where have you been? Do you know what time it is?"

"It's 3:07 in the afternoon, _Bob_, school got out three minutes ago," Helga retorted with a hint of sarcasm, "And I was banging on the door because I lost my friggen _key_."

Bob's face turned beet red. "LOST THE KEY!? You've gotta be kidding me! I just made you an extra three days ago! Of course _you _would go and lose it after THREE DAYS. Olga never had this problem..." Helga rolled her eyes. He had no reason to be angry with her, he just wanted to pick a fight.

Helga pushed past him and went into the dry house. She retorted as she kicked off her shoes against the wall. "Yeah yeah, Olga's a perfect goddess and we should all worship the ground she walks upon."

"Don't talk back to me, little lady, or you'll get a beating so hard you won't be able to sit for days!"

Mirium commented from her place on the couch in the living room. "Don't talk back to your father, Olga."

Helga crossed her arms. "It's HELGA, Mirium. HELL-GAH. Maybe you'd finally realize that if you'd put down the bottle for a minute and pay attention TO YOUR FAMILY!"

Big Bob scowled at his youngest daughter. "You're starting to get an attitude, Olga, and I'm not likin' it one bit! You better shape up or else!"

"Or else WHAT, Bob?" Helga argued. "You'll sick one of your whores on me?" Bob looked shocked at her accusation. Helga sneered at her father. "Yeah, that's right _Bob_, I'll shape up once you _fess up_!"

Bob looked like he was about to explode. Mirium, who seemed to have lost focus on the conversation a long time ago, now had her attention solely on whatever the show was on television.

Helga sneered at her father. "What's the matter, Bob? Don't have the balls?"

Bob was speechless as Helga made her way upstairs, trying to suppress angry tears. Once she was at the stop, she screamed, "I hate this family!"

* * *

Helga sobbed uncontrollably into her pillow, clutching the soft mess in her arms and trying to comfort herself.

"Friggen Bob... he's such an asshole... why can't I just be happy?"

The rain had stopped a while ago, and the outdoors smelled of fresh air and wet grass. It was one of Helga's favorite smells, the kind that only happens after a good rainfall. However she couldn't quite enjoy it as much as usual. Today had not been a good day.

Then again, it was never a good day at her house. At least when Olga used to live with them, her parents were happy, even if they were never happy with Helga it was nice seeing them come together for their favorite daughter. Nowadays, Olga almost never visited, devoting all of her time to her career, her boyfriend and, of course, orphaned children. She did visit on occasion, and when she did she stayed for extended periods of time. And, as they always did, her parents showered her with praise and affection. Helga would kill to get one compliment out of them for once in her life, just one itsy bitsy little piece of recognition to encourage her to keep going...

Helga continued to sob. "No way that's ever going to happen." she sniffed, trying to calm herself down and stop the tears from flowing.

An unforeseen knock was heard at the door. Her bedroom door? No, it came from downstairs. Then came the doorbell. Yup, someone was definately at the door.

Helga crawled out of bed, her pillow wet with tears, and looked at the time. 7:24. She had been in her room for longer than she had thought. She attempted to make herself look somewhat decent for whomever was at the door. She brushed through her hair, wiped her tears away and changed into a dry pair of shorts and a tank top. She made haste downstairs, where Mirium was, to Helga's sarcastic amazement, passed out on the couch. Bob's jacket was gone; probably gone to see one of his mistresses after their fight. Helga reached for the handle, and opened the door.

"Hello?"


	4. A leap of faith to face your fears

**Oh my gosh! You guys make me blush with your kind reviews! I literally jumped up and down and did a little dance once I read them! ...Yes that makes me a major nerd, but I don't care! It inspired me to write!**

**If you haven't already, go read iceprincessforever's Because The Heart Never Lies. That amazing piece of fan fiction is what inspires me and keeps me going in life. No joking.**

**Enjoy another fabulous chapter created in less than a week! Sorry about the names of the chapters... I'm having trouble coming up with good titles and I refuse to settle for "Chapters 1, 2, 3, etc." **

**Please review!  
**

**

* * *

**Phoebe watched the shadows dance against the ceiling as she laid comfortably on her bed. The lights were off, except for a few in the kitchen, for it was a hot night and the lights just made her house warmer. She wore a pair of knee high socks, cotton shorts and a tank top, her usual bedtime apparel. Phoebe was a bit bored; there really wasn't much to do at her house, which was why she always went outdoors to have fun. There was no cable T.V., no internet, and no means of entertainment in her family's tiny townhouse.

With nothing else to do, Phoebe sighed romantically as she began to daydream about her beloved Gerald. She honestly thought she was the luckiest girl.

During the fourth grade, in the midst of Helga's unrequited love and random confessions to her, Phoebe developed a tiny crush on Gerald. While her feelings for Gerald hadn't been as intense as Helga's for Arnold (she certainly never kept a shrine of him in her room), she found herself lost with him in girlish imagination. And soon she discovered ways to live out her fantasies, for, as you know, she was very clever: dropping her pencil and "accidentally" touching his hand when they both tried to pick it up; stumbling in the hallway and letting him catch her; dancing close to him at Rhonda's parties. For the first time in her life, Phoebe was thinking irrationally. The days of thinking with her mind instead of her heart were sinking away as she found herself falling harder and harder. She admired the way he always stuck by Arnold's side, even if it was the losing side. She respected that he was a true gentlemen to women, despite his misconception of being a "player". But most of all, she loved the way he treated her as if she was the most wonderful girl in the whole wide world. That was enough to make Phoebe weak at her knees.

Imagine her surprise when he loved her back.

Phoebe giggled like a schoolgirl, thinking of the memory. Gerald arrived at her house one day with a bouquet of roses and a smile on his face. He took for a walk around the park, and shyly asked her if she'd be his one and only girl. Phoebe, blushing madly at the proposal, had accepted quite modestly. They had been going steady ever since. It hadn't been very long, but Phoebe knew already that it would last.

She stared into her vanity mirror from her spot on the bed. She still had a little bit of makeup on, making sure she was was decent enough to go into public in case Helga decided to drag her somewhere. She didn't consider herself an astounding beauty, although she very much was. She was still petite, standing at a moderate 5'4" and barely came up to Gerald's shoulder when they talked. She wasn't terribly busty, and her waist was around 18 or 20 inches, but she was proportionate and there was a little hint of a womanly curve to her body. She still wore glasses; she had tried contacts back in freshmen year, but didn't feel they suited her. Her hair was short, but flirty, and it had a better shape and style to it than it did back in elementary. Nonetheless, she thought too little of herself and often struggled with self-esteem issues from here to there.

Gerald, however, made her feel like Eva Mendes. Speaking of, or rather _thinking_ of, she decided to call him and see what he was up to. Helga wasn't stopping by until much later, and she was still a little nervous about being home alone. Phoebe jumped off her bed and started searching for her cell phone.

Out of the corner of her eye, Phoebe saw the kitchen lights shut off. _Funny_, Phoebe thought to herself, _maybe the light bulb died.  
_

She turned the switch on in her room, and shielded her eyes as they adjusted to the abrupt change in lighting. She bounced downstairs and into the storage closet to find a light bulb. Upon finding it, she went into the kitchen and stood on a stool as she began to switch out the burned out light bulb for a new one.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Phoebe dropped the light bulb in surprise, causing the glass to shatter against the floor. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage. She got off the stool, avoiding the glass in order to catch her breath. The knock came again, this time sounding a bit more urgent. Phoebe couldn't help but feel a little panic.

It wasn't Helga's secret knock.

She approached the door and looked through the eye hole, and saw an unfamiliar figure looming against the door. Her skin crawled as her brain sent out alarming signals, _Don't answer! Don't answer! Don't answer!_

Phoebe closed all the windows, shut all the curtains and locked every lock in the house. She crawling into her bed once again, but pulled the blankets over her and shivered in fear. Her breathing was heavy and frightened. The strange figure continued to knock on her door, incessantly, getting louder and louder...

* * *

Lila limped out into the streets, her lips bleeding and her eyes swollen. Her father had not been easy on her that night.

After yet another argument they had over her slipping grades and lack of responsibility, she had run away when she had gotten the chance. Hours had passed between his latest beating, and when she tiptoed downstairs after dark, he had been snoring in the living room with the T.V. on at full blast. He always turned up the T.V. during his "punishments" to drown out her agonizing cries so the neighbors wouldn't hear.

One day, a long time ago, their lovely neighbors had payed a visit to the Sawyers to investigate a suspicious yelp they had heard the night before. Lila's father had put on his cleanest clothes and his brightest smile, threatening Lila to do the same. After a pleasant banter between the two companies, the neighbors deemed the Sawyers a decent family and quickly left them be. Lila hadn't said a word, but her eyes pleaded them to see past the farce and see her torment. Alas, they were ignorant to the girl's silent cries for help, and Lila was once again left alone with the monster.

Tonight was the last straw. When she had had the chance, she sneaked away.

She passed him and had gotten as far as the fence when she heard him scream, "And where the F--- do you think you're going?"

He marched out of the house, his menacing glare fixed on Lila. She had simply stood there, knees shaking, staring at him uneasily.

"I'm... I'm g-going for a walk," She whimpered, losing her backbone.

His eyes narrowed. "Like hell you are."

And with that he stomped across the yard and jumped over the fence, never faltering in his evil glare. He raised one hand and slapped her across the face, sending her to the ground. Lila felt her heart sink; usually when he began this way, she was in for a hell of a beating.

He grabbed her by her collar as she pleaded him to stop, and punched her mercilessly until she was nothing but a limp rag. Once on the mouth, twice in the eyes, three times everywhere else. It felt like days before he ceased. When he felt that he was finished, he shoved her face first into the ground and left her there, broken and crying into the earth.

He lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth. "You sit there and suck on this: you leave now, don't you EVER come back."

He finished smoking as she lay there motionless, and tossed his cigarette to the ground near her face. He stepped on it with his hard black boots, crushing one of her hands in the process. Lila felt the blood oozing from under her fingernails.

"You hear me, you lying bitch? You come back here, and you die!"

He went inside and slammed the door, leaving Lila in a puddle of her own misery.

After an eternity, she finally found the energy to push herself off the ground. She touched her injured face. She could already feel the bruises swelling. Already her eyes were closing shut, leaving Lila barely able to see her hands in front of her. Her lip was big and puffy, and the bleeding would not stop. She started to cry again, tears washing away the dirt and the grime. Yet, she felt like the tears would never be able to wash away the ugliness.

She knew she should have gone to the authorities years ago. She should have called Child Services the first night it began, the day her father had come home from work with a scowl on his face and a wickedness about his demeanor. She should have known something bad was going to happen, he had never looked at her that way before that night. But she had been a mere child, ignorant of the evil in the world, still believing in magic and Santa Claus. She should have just let him be to sulk in his own misery, but she had the nerve to ask him what was wrong.

What a horrible mistake.

The was the first time he struck her. Lila remembered being in shock. How could he do this to her? She was his princess, his little angel, his one and only happiness in life. How could someone treat their beloved ones as if they were nothing more than worthless dirt? What happened to her loving and protective father? Sometimes she wondered if he had ever existed.

Lila put her arms around and hugged herself tight, afraid she might fall apart in her very own hands. She took one final glance at her house. Her expression was dark and emotionless. She knew her choices were grim. If she left now, she could never go back. Her father would stay true to his words, that much Lila had learned in the past few years. She imagined having to live on the streets: digging in trash cans for food, sleeping in empty movie theaters for shelter, dropping out of school, working on the streets...

There was another choice: She could stay here and have a roof over her head and warm food to eat. She would have a bed to sleep in every night, and a place to come home to after school.

But... in the long run... was it worth having to face her father every single day, submitting to his merciless rage, forever the target of his violence?

Finally, Lila made her decision. She took her first weak steps, headed towards to city. Once there, she began to wander around, not really looking for anybody, not really going to any particular destination. Maybe if she walked long enough, she would finally pass out in the street and get run over by a bus or something. The feeble girl hobbled around for what seemed like hours before reaching a suitable rest stop...

* * *

Arnold turned up the music on his stereo. The station was on his favorite, a jazz channel that ranged from classics like Louis Armstrong to more recent jazz artists. Jazz had always been his favorite, he seemed to get lost in the steady flow of the rhythm. He regretted not taking band class in middle school so he could learn the saxophone. He would have if Gerald hadn't of warned him about being labeled as a "band geek". Arnold closed his eyes and laid on his couch, letting his body float in sync with the music. That was another thing he enjoyed about jazz, it was so smooth and sensual...

He hadn't been able to get Helga's words out of his mind.

"Don't feel the need to follow me. I'll be fine."

The way she had looked when she said it, it made his heart wrench. (Did he do this to her?)

"I don't need closure or anything like that."

Her eyes showed so many mixed emotions. Uncertainty, anguish, confusion... it was utterly perplexing.

"Just don't be such a stranger."

What did she mean by that? Did she want him to leave her be, or be her friend? Arnold's head was spinning.

Helga Pataki was not easy to figure out.

He laid there for a while, letting his thoughts surf leisurely through his mind. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't get Helga's vision out of his head. He longed for her touch, the sensation of her body against his, her silky hair flowing down her back. He saw her sparkling blue eyes filled with something more than just her usual expression of frustration and anger, he saw true happiness... and perhaps, love?

Her very essence called to him, and he heard his grandfather's words once more:

_Don't let this one go._

He stood up and decided on a final course of action.

_Well, what are you waiting for? _He asked himself as he grabbed his sweater and rushed downstairs. _Go and get her!_

_

* * *

_

"Hello?"

Helga stood in the doorway, baffled.

"Brainy? What are you doing here?"

The pale boy stood on Helga's stoop with a handful of drooping daises in his hands. They looked like they had died hours ago. The petals were dropping off one by one. His breath was rancid and hot. He didn't say a word.

Helga hadn't known until about the 8th grade, but Brainy had had a crush on her for years. She practically slapped herself silly upon learning about it, it was so obvious! The way he followed her around like a stalker and listening to her random sweet confessions of love, yearning to be confessed to himself someday. Although Helga thought it was sweet, she never saw anything romantic relationship happening between them. She had declined him politely when he asked her to the formal dance, but he didn't seem to get the picture. He still followed her around and popped up in unforeseen places when Helga thought she was alone. It was becoming a bit of a nuisance for her.

"Uhh..." he finally said. "I don't know."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Brainy, I don't know how to make myself any clearer. I. Don't. Like. You. Leave me alone!"

Brainy didn't show any sign that he understanding her. After a while, he replied, "Uh... okay."

And then he left, just like that.

Helga complained audibly, irritated that he would waste her time like this. She shut the door and locked it, putting the key in her pocket. She sauntered upstairs, wishing she could just sleep her life away instead of spending another weekend alone. She collapsed on her bed. The sound of chirping crickets and downtown traffic buzzed in her ears. Helga smiled to herself. Although it was crowded, and busy, and totally infuriating at times, she loved the city and the adventure it promised. There was something magical about a night on the town. It could be the lights that reminded her of dancing stars, or the music that fit so well with the city's personality. And the people you spent it with were even better.

She finally fell into a calming trance similar to sleep when there was a little tap on her window.

She opened one eye and listened. Nothing. She closed it again.

... There it was! This time it sounded like two taps. She sat up and looked at her window. Nothing was there. She was starting to get suspicious. She continued to watch the window.

... Nothing. Helga sighed. She must have been imagining something. All the magic nonsense she was thinking about got her hopes up- wait! She saw it this time, tiny pebbles that were hitting her glass window. Helga ran over and shoved open the window, looking out below her.

Arnold stood in her yard holding pebbles in his hand.

"Arnoldo! What do you think you're doing?" Helga whisper-yelled, secretly excited by the fact that her long-awaited love was at her house, throwing rocks at her window!

He gave her a cunning half-smile. "You told me not to be a stranger."

"Yeah, but this isn't exactly what I meant by that!"

He gently tossed the pebbles into the grass by his shoes. He looked back up at her, his hair glimmering against the silhouette of the setting sun. His eyes were childlike and filled with excitement and curiosity. He was absolutely gorgeous... how could she resist him?

"Come with me, Helga. Let's go somewhere."

Helga glanced down at her body and remembered what she was wearing. She suddenly felt self-conscious. She blushed and covered her chest with her arms, very well aware that her tank top barely covered her boobs.

"I-I can't. I'm not dressed properly."

"That's alright, just change into something else!"

Helga shook her head solemnly. "I can't, Arnold... not after what happened last time."

Arnold's face fell. He shuffled his feet before speaking again. "Helga... I'm sorry. Please let me make it up to you. I wasn't thinking clearly last time, but now I think I have everything figured out."

She turned away and didn't answer him. She peeked over her shoulder and saw his sorrowful expression.

"Please, Helga?"

He put on his best puppy dog face. Helga's heart wrenched at the sight. She couldn't turn him down, not with him looking like that... no matter what he had done in the past. And he honestly looked regretful. Perhaps this was his way of making it up to her, or fate's way of giving "them" a second chance. Maybe things would turn out the way they were supposed to this time...

Besides, it was a nice night. And she was ready for another adventure.

She sighed dramatically and faced the window again, yelling, "Okay, Football Head, but this is your last chance!"

Arnold beamed up at her. Helga smiled back at him. She spun around and rushed to get dressed, pulling out a striped pink sweater and a cute skirt, dressing as fast as she could without hurting herself. She searched under her bed for a suitable pair of shoes, comfortable enough to walk around a city for hours but stylish enough to match her outfit. She finally reached them, pulling out a pair of golden ballet flats.

Now, she was ready.

Helga went to the window and shouted down to a patiently waiting Arnold, "I'll be right down Arnold!"

Arnold laughed and held out his arms. "No, just jump from there! I'll catch you!"

Helga looked at him like he was crazy. "No way, Football Head! I'll fall!"

Arnold rolled his eyes teasingly. "_Exactly. _You'll fall, and I'll catch you! Unless, that is..." Arnold gave her a cunning grin, "You're _scared_."

Helga scoffed at him playfully. "I'll show you scared, bucko..."

Helga opened her window as far as she could and climbed through, sitting on the sill and leaning over, ready to jump. Arnold held his arms out eagerly. Helga's heart began to pound as she contemplated the jump. She felt a sudden twinge of dismay, wondering if this was the right thing to do. She could easily get hurt again, and she didn't want to feel the pain she did so many nights ago. But time was running thin, and Helga Pataki was not the kind to have regrets.

It was now or never.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and took a leap of faith.


	5. The birth of a newborn night

**Auther's Note: Where's Fluffy is not mine. It belongs to the authors of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, my favorite movie of all time. I am simply borrowing the idea for the plot. That is all. Enjoy another chapter and please review!  
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8:15 P.M.

The night was young.

The light left later during the summer, allowing the sun to have its fun before it was the moon's time to play.

The two teenagers walked side by side, exploring the nighttime world of the city.

Helga followed behind Arnold slowly, feeling a little weird that they were even in this position. Years ago, Arnold had never even acknowledged her existence. Now all of a sudden he was showing up at her house, throwing rocks at her window and begging her to follow him somewhere! She wondered what he wanted from her. He made it quite clear what he had wanted last time, but after that why would he come back for her? I mean, it wasn't like he had feelings for her... was it?

"So... uh," Helga timidly began, trying to distract herself, "Where exactly are we going?"

Arnold's shoulders went up and down. "I don't know, where ever you feel like I guess."

Helga stopped abruptly and threw her hands up. "What do you MEAN you don't know? Don't tell me we've been wandering around like a bunch of saps for the past half hour!"

Arnold grinned playfully. "Well, yeah pretty much. We're just taking it as it comes."

Helga frowned and crossed her arms. She looked a bit hurt. "Arnold, if you're not serious about this..."

Arnold's grin disappeared as he looked a little frantic. "No! Helga, I am serious! I just, I don't know... I guess I didn't plan this far ahead."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Geez, Arnoldo, you're such a basket case."

Arnold relaxed a little as he tried to think of what to do next. "Well, there was one thing I had in mind, but I'm not sure if you'd be up for it."

Helga raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Try me."

"Have you ever heard of Where's Fluffy?"

Helga's skin crawled in excitement at the mention of that name. She answered in an intense voice, "I freaking LOVE Where's Fluffy."

Arnold laughed. "That's weird, I didn't expect you to like that kind of music."

Helga was almost offended by his comment. "That kind of music is pure GENIUS! Of COURSE I would like... no, no, not LIKE, but ADORE that kind of music!"

"Wow, that's so awesome Helga!"

"Do you know where they're playing tonight?!"

"Not for sure, but I heard a rumor they were playing at the BK Lounge"

Helga looked at him seriously, and Arnold knew that he had her.

"Do you wanna go find Fluffy?" he asked, already knowing her answer.

Helga would have replied "YES!" in a heartbeat if there wasn't one thing she had to do first.

"Well... I promised Phoebe I would go over there tonight because her parents are vacationing, so do you think we could stop there before we start looking? She doesn't really know about Fluffy, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind getting out of the house."

Arnold shrugged in agreement. "Sure. The more the merrier."

And off the went into the night.

* * *

When they arrived at Phoebe's house, the windows were dark and the front door was locked tight.

Helga did her secret knock so Phoebe would know it was her: Four short, two long and one short, one short two long and one short. That was H.G.P. in morse code. They had come up with it in middle school when the crime in the city had begun to escalate, because Phoebe didn't have a doorbell and everyone who came over had to knock. Nowadays, the crime rate had gone down, but they did it just to be safe.

A long time passed. There was no answer. Helga was beginning to worry.

"She usually comes to the door right away," Helga said to Arnold. "This isn't good."

Helga looked under the Welcome rug for Phoebe's house key. She had her made an extra one for Helga in case of emergencies. She found it and unlocked the door.

"Wait out here," she told Arnold. She stepped inside the doorway and looked around.

The house was eerily silent. Her footsteps echoed throughout the room. Helga looked in the kitchen and saw glass scattered all over the floor from the broken light bulb. Her gut feeling became even stronger. Phoebe was a neat freak; there was no way she would tolerate such a mess. Helga ran upstairs and started searching frantically for the Asian girl, leaving no room untouched. When she reached her room, she found it completely torn apart: Her clothes were scattered on the floor, her underwear drawer ransacked and almost empty, her cosmetics sprawled randomly across the room, and her bed was unmade. It appeared as though there had been some kind of frantic movement, or possibly a struggle. Phoebe was nowhere to be found, no note or any sign left behind to ensure her safety. Helga feared for the worst. She sprinted downstairs, out the front door, and slammed it shut, facing a now worried looking Arnold.

"Phoebe's not here," she cried, "She wouldn't just leave without telling anyone. I think something bad happened to her." Terror struck her heartstrings as she curled up her legs and sat on the stoop. Her eyes stared wide open as her mouth twitched downwards, trying as hard as she could not to cry in front of Arnold.

Arnold put his arm around her. It was warm and comforting, and she could feel her stress melt away at his touch. Subconsciously, she moved in closer, resting her head on his chest.

"Helga, it's going to be okay," he consoled. "Phoebe's smart, where ever she is I'm sure she's figured out a way to keep herself safe."

Helga stared up at him fearfully. "Are you sure?"

Arnold nodded.

"I'm sorry, Arnold," she apologized, moving away from his embrace, "but I have to find her. Thanks for trying to give me a great night, but I have to go."

Arnold blinked. "Okay, let's go then."

Helga was blatantly confused. "W-what? You're coming with me? But I thought... what about... you said-"

"What are you talking about?" Now it was Arnold's turn to be confused. Why didn't she think he'd go with her?

"Where's Fluffy! Aren't you worried about missing their show?"

Arnold was taken aback, feeling a little insulted. "Helga, I can't let you go alone! What if something happens to you, too? You need protection! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you when I could have done something about it!"

Helga gazed at her beloved in shock. Did he really just say that...?

Arnold thought about the words he just spoke and began to feel a little embarrassed. His cheeks turned bright red as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. Maybe he should have waited before spouting off confessions... or at least thought about what he was saying before he opened his big mouth.

"Um, I mean, what I'm trying to say is... Where's Fluffy can wait. They never go on until really late, anyway."

Arnold put a hand on Helga's shoulder. "Phoebe is way more important than some band. And I'm going with you, whether you want me to or not."

Helga forced a small smile. "Thanks, Arnold."

He grinned in return. "Come on, let's not waste anymore time."

* * *

They went back to Arnold's apartment to borrow his grandfather's car. They both figured it would be easier to find their friend if they had a faster means of transportation. Besides, the city was humongous, and it would take the entire night and probably longer to see the whole thing on foot.

Arnold opened the garage manually. It wasn't electronic, so he had to lift it up himself. Helga noticed the decrepit looking vehicle he insisted on driving.

"Arnold," she said seriously. "That thing's older than my grandmother's toenails. Are you sure it's safe to drive?"

Arnold glowered. "I wouldn't say that around my grandpa, he loves his packard."

"This crappy old thing? It looks like it's about to fall apart. Your old man must have the crazies."

"Helga, this _thing _works like a charm. You'd be surprised."

Arnold climbed in the driver's seat as Helga hesitated for a moment. He put the keys in the ignition and the packard started up, as normal as any other car. Arnold peeked out the window.

"Are you gonna stand there gaping all night, or do you need help getting in?" Arnold smirked jokingly.

Helga sighed audibly and finally climbed in on the passenger side. She buckled herself and waited for Arnold to go. Being inside wasn't quite what she expected; for such a big car she thought there's be a lot of room inside. Instead, it was pretty cramped, and Helga found herself almost shoulder to shoulder with Arnold. Her heart fluttered at his touch, and she quickly faced the window so he wouldn't see her blushing.

Arnold drove down the street, and Helga was indeed surprised at how smoothly it moved. For looking like such a deadbeat clunker, it was actually pretty nice. Arnold's grandpa sure did take care of it.

"I hate to admit it, Arnoldo, but you were right. This is a nice car."

Arnold smirked. "Told ya."

Helga giggled quietly as an awkward silence filled the car. It was like that for a good twenty minutes before they reached the inner city. Helga shifted uncomfortably in her seat multiple times as Arnold watched from the corner of his eyes. There was an obvious sexual tension between them, and Helga constantly bit her lip and averted her eyes from his. She felt herself getting more and more nervous as time went on. Arnold had tried to break the silence by making small talk, but her responses were short and quick. He regretted dragging her out of her house, maybe she didn't really want to go with him in the first place? He was so stupid, thinking he could show up at her window like Romeo and sweep her off her feet and she would forgive him just like that... what an idiot!

"So... um, where do you think we should start looking first?"

Arnold was caught off guard. Breaking away from his train of thought, he began to say, "Uh, um, well, I don't know. Where does she usually go... by herself?"

Helga slunk down in her seat. "Um, I don't know, I guess we could try the-"

"Hey, isn't that Gerald?" Arnold interrupted. Helga looked at the street, slightly annoyed with Arnold's sudden outburst after his bout of silence. There was a tall black guy standing on the corner, with a large afro and a varsity basketball jacket.

"Yup, that looks like Tall Hair Boy alright," Helga confirmed.

"Maybe he knows where Phoebe is."

Arnold pulled over to Gerald as Helga rolled down her window. Gerald, at first a little startled by the strange vehicle, realized it was Arnold and peered inside.

"What's up, Gerald?"

"Hey Arnold, hey Helga." He looked amused to see the two of them together. Helga felt a little disdain for him; while they weren't exactly "enemies" as they were in elementary school, they weren't really on speaking terms with each other. They both had an unspoken truce, since Phoebe was Helga's best friend and Gerald was Phoebe's boyfriend, and they simply preferred not to speak to each other if they didn't have to. In other words, if Phoebe didn't force them to.

"Hey, Tall Hair Boy, you seen Phoebe lately?" Helga asked.

Gerald ignored her name-calling, looking a little confused. "No, I haven't seen her since school got out. We were supposed to hang out tonight, but I went to her house and there was no answer. I figured she was with you." He watched as her expression became aghast. He began to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"... She _is_ with you, isn't she?"

Helga shook her head.

"What!? Then where is she!? Is she okay? What happened to her?" Gerald slurred all of his questions together as he frantically searched for an answer from them.

Arnold stopped him. "We don't know, Gerald, but we're out looking for her-"

"Take me with you!" he shouted.

Arnold paused for a second.

Gerald's eyes pleaded with the blond haired boy. Arnold gazed at him sympathetically.

Helga gave Gerald a solid stare. She saw the worry in his eyes and the love in his heart. She realized how much he really did want to help. He was just as devastated to hear about her disappearance as she had been. She turned around to ask Arnold, but he nodded before she got the chance. She looked back at Gerald.

"Okay, Geraldo," she agreed. "But you're sitting in the back, and you better not bitch about having the backseat. It's first come, first serve bucko."

Gerald rolled his eyes at Helga and scrambled in the car as the trio took off, and they began their search around the city for the lost girl.

* * *

9:02 P.M. Three boys sat together, the moon's reign only just beginning.

Sid, Stinky and Harold were in their usual booth in Luigi's Pizza Parlor. The smell of grease and cheese was in the air, and the plate of pizza in front of them was empty except for a few discarded crusts. They laughed obnoxiously loud, disturbing the other customers in the joint and eventually making them leave. They had been coming to this spot for years ever since its business opening back in the 7th grade. Although much had changed, one thing remained the same: They were Luigi's best, and _worst _customers.

"Gee willikers, Harold," Stinky snorted, "I never seen a human being eat so much pizza in my life!"

Stinky had been urged to join the basketball team when he had hit 6'6" in the 8th grade. Surprisingly, he wasn't that coordinated, and his skills were mediocre, but somehow he managed to make varsity freshmen year. His looks hadn't changed much.

"Aww, that was nothin'," the large boy gloated. "I ate six extra large pizzas at Mario's one time."

"Hey, I thought your wrestling coach said you had to watch your weight this season?" Sid probed. He had grown into his nose, but he most certainly hadn't grown up. He was considered one of the cutest guys in the school, yet he was so immature none of the girls wanted to date him. His first and only girlfriend had been Ruth McDougal, one of the popular girls, and she had only dated him to compliment her own popularity.

"Nah, he just said if I get any bigger I'll go up into the next weight class, but that's not gonna happen."

After joining the wrestling team freshmen year (his mother insisted he take part in a sport), Harold had tried to watch his weight, but it was to no avail. He was still big, really big, but he had a somewhat nice physique, and the wrestling had done wonders for his muscles. After he hit 190, his weight refused to go up even by 1 pound, resulting in Harold's confidence in keeping his weight class.

Stinky scratched his head. "Well I reckon we better get going, Luigi's is closing soon and my pappy said I gotta be home by midnight."

The boys got up to leave, forgetting to clean up their table and leaving a disgusting mess behind for the night-shift bus workers to clean up. The owner flipped the "Open" sign to the "Closed" side as soon as they were gone. He glared at them from the see-through window of the store. However, the boys were ignorant of this, and continued to laugh and joke as they walked down the street.

Little did they know something was watching them from the shadows...

Sid felt a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, uh, guys? You ever feel like someone's watching you..."

Stinky and Harold gave him blank stares.

"Er... no, Sid, I reckon I can't say that I have. Why? You got a case of the willies?"

Sid eyed the shadow, suspicious of someone lurking. "Because... I think we're being followed!"

"Come on, Sid!" Harold complained. "Quit being so paranoid! Nobody's there, it's just a bunch of shadows and air and stuff!"

"Oh really? PROVE IT!"

Harold huffed as he dragged Sid and Stinky toward the dark alley. "Easy squeezy lemon peezy..." he mumbled under his breath. He marched towards the alley, puffing out his muscles and putting on an angry face.

"I'm telling ya, Sid, there's nothing here but-"

Harold was interrupted by a scream. A chilling breeze whizzed past him.

He turned around, and Sid was on the ground. He was holding his nose, and Harold could see blood.

Stinky was nowhere to be seen.

Harold could hear a muffled noise around the corner. He looked and saw Stinky holding his, ahem, _coodle sack_, writhing in pain. There was a dark figure standing over him with glowing eyes. It cowered back in fear at the sight of Harold. It dropped something, and raced away.

He watched the figure disappear into the night, feeling a spell of faint coming on...

Then everything went black.


	6. Memories in the moonlight

**Hi everyone! I am just a writing fiend, aren't I?? Six chapters in less than a couple weeks! Get used to a bunch of updates now, though. School starts on the 8th and I have about a million IB classes, plus rehearsals for the fall musical start early (we're doing Sweeney Todd!), but that's only if I'm talented enough to get in. I'll try to update as much as I can, but please don't kill me if it takes a while.  
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**Anyway, enough of my rambling, I figured that I've been pretty shady about Helga and Arnold's past, so get ready for flashbacks. Maybe you can figure out what happened now, eh? **

**Enjoy! And don't forget to review!  
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_She hadn't expected to wind up here.  
_

_She stood in front of her true love's house, watching him on the roof. She could see the outline of his hair against the moon, usually golden in the sunlight but silvery blond under the stars. For years she had wondered what would happen if she had dared to venture up the fire escape. Fate had brought her to this very spot countless times in the past, but she never had the guts to go up there and see what awaited.  
_

_Was this her chance? Would she be able to conjure up the courage to climb those stairs to her beloved?_

_She stood there for what seemed like hours before letting out an exasperated sigh. Who am I kidding? she thought to herself. Defeated, she turned around to leave... and walked right into a garbage can. Trash scattered all over the sidewalk, causing a loud racket that could be heard for miles. Somebody yelled from their bedroom window. A pig squealed and ran out of the alley and into the street. She had fallen flat on her face, bruising multiple body parts in the process. She groaned as she tried to get back up again._

_"Hello? Who's there?" A voice like smooth silk echoed off the alley walls. She was caught off guard as she looked up and saw her love staring down at her._

_"Helga? What are you doing?" he asked with a harsh tone.  
_

_"Uh... well, um, I was just, uh..." She stuttered, not being able to form the right words. _

_Under her breath, she whispered to herself, You idiot! You sound completely mental, come up with a good excuse!_

_To Arnold, she called, "I was just... taking a walk, Football Head! Am I not allowed to walk wherever I please?"_

_Arnold glared, piercing her heart with his narrowing eyes, a look she never thought he could muster. "You can do whatever you want, Helga, just quit making a bunch of noise!"_

_"It's not my fault you put your garbage in an open area where anyone can walk into it!"_

_"You mean in the dark alley where nobody ever goes?"_

_"You know what, Football Head? You can SUCK IT!"_

_She was incredibly angry, and she didn't quite know why. He had a valid point, she WAS walking om his property and she DID make a lot of noise. But whenever she was around him, Arnold just seemed to make her so mad... for whatever strange reason. She had always taken her negative feelings out on him, despite her deep admiration for the boy, but over the years he'd grown tired of her constant torment and began to defend himself against her cruel words.  
_

_She could tell she had pushed him to the brink, and immediately regretted it. Teeth gritted tight, he shouted back, "I'm sick of putting up with your crap, Helga! Just leave me alone, okay? GO AWAY!"_

_His words bounced off the walls and shattered what remained of her already broken heart. Her entire body ached with pain, from both the trash can and Arnold's words, and she sulked off into the darkness. _

_Arnold had turned away at this point to resume his spot on the roof. He lay back down, closing his eyes and breathing in the night. He attempted to calm himself down from the last little scuffle, but he just couldn't find the peace... he kept hearing something... what was that? He opened one eye and sat back up, trying to pinpoint the origin of the noise. He went back to the edge of the roof and looked over, but saw nothing. Investigating more, he climbed down the fire escape until he reached the ground and searched the alley._

_It was at that moment he discovered what the sound was, and the sight of it was enough to break his heart in two._

_There was Helga, sobbing into her skirt and facing the wall, hiding her tears from the rest of the world. He had never seen her so vulnerable; the rough exterior she had shown others for so many years was gone and and replaced with the sad, lost person he saw before him. He realized how fragile she was, a simple exchange of words bringing her to this point. And he almost hit himself for being so dense._

_What have I done, he scolded himself._

_He moved in closer, a helping hand stretched out towards her._

_"Helga..." he said softly._

_She shot up, seemingly startled by the sudden greeting, and had a look of pure horror upon her countenance. She quickly wiped the rest of the tears away, trying to regain her tough exterior once again and pretending like she had never showed such weakness._

_"Ar-Arnold!" She cried, suddenly becoming bashful. She straightened her skirt and smoothed her makeup, her normally ocean blue eyes completely bloodshot._

_Arnold felt his insides swishing around uncomfortably. The guilt was eating at his very being._

_"I shouldn't have said that. I'm a jerk, and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."_

_He trailed off as he looked into her eyes. She averted her gaze, her face as red as a cherry. He knew what he needed to say. He moved in closer...  
_

_"Helga, don't be embarrassed. It's okay."_

_She looked dumbfounded, the last of the tears drying away. One more escaped her eye and raced down her cheek, and Arnold reached out his thumb to wipe it away._

_"No more. I can't stand to see you like this."_

_She was speechless. For years her greatest fear had been for someone else to see her vulnerable side, the side she kept locked away and hidden from the world. She had never cried in front of anyone... until now. Never had she expected Arnold to see her break down, and never had she expected him to react this way._

_It was better than anything she ever dreamed._

_A small smile formed on her lips that she tried to hide, to no avail. He found himself smiling with her._

_Then he got an idea._

_"Do you wanna come up to the roof with me?" he asked._

_Now she was really thunderstruck. Completely overwhelmed, she nodded her head as he led her to the place she never thought she would go..._

"Helga? HELGA!"

Helga snapped back to reality. She gaped around the car, remembering where she was after a few moments. The car had parked on the street, and both boys were staring at her expectantly.

"You okay, unibrow?" A sly Gerald teased.

Helga nodded. "Yeah, I'm _fine_ Tall Hair Boy."

Gerald waited impatiently, tapping his finger in annoyance.

"What? What're you looking at me for!?"

"I asked you a question."

"What question?"

Gerald rolled his eyes and looked at his best friend, who simply shrugged. He turned back to the blond girl.

"The question WAS: Are you hungry? We're thinking of grabbing a pizza."

Helga, still a little dazed, replied, "Oh yeah, sure."

So caught up she had been in her daydream that she had completely lost touch with what was going on around her. How could she forget? It seemed like only yesterday that she was in Arnold's arms...

How she missed that feeling. Helga had been with a few guys here and there, but she never truly loved any of them. She never let herself; she felt like she would have betrayed Arnold, although he had never known about her feelings for her. She would have told him sooner, but she was so afraid of being rejected that she pushed him away whenever she thought he was getting too close. That was the cause of all her bullying back in elementary school, and her completely avoiding him in middle school. It was all a shield, a brick wall built in order to protect herself from getting hurt.

And yet, no matter what she did, he always found a way back into her life somehow.

"WOAH! What's going on!?"

Helga looked out the window and saw red and blue flashing lights. There was an ambulance, with three boys sitting in the back, and policemen talking to them. The boys didn't look seriously injured, but they did appear a little spooked. And they looked pretty familiar...

"Hey, is that Stinky there holding his groin?" Helga asked.

"Yeah... and those other guys look like Harold and Sid!" Arnold exclaimed.

"Good grief, what have they gotten themselves into this time..."

Arnold parked the packard on the opposite side of the street, and the three teens got out. Stinky recognized them and waved them over. The cops were reluctant to let the trio in, but Arnold convinced them they were good friends.

"Hey y'all!" Stinky cried out, coughing a little in the process. "What in the heck are you doing here?"

"We could ask you the same question," Gerald replied.

"What happened to you guys? What's with all the cops and stuff?" Arnold inquired.

Sid piped up from inside the ambulance, his nose contained inside a large white cast, "We were attacked by a MONSTER!!!"

Harold rolled his eyes. "Shut UP, Sid!"

Stinky sighed. "We were comin' out of Luigi's, and all of a sudden this weird guy jumped out of the alley and mugged us!"

"He broke Sid's nose, punched Stinky in the balls and gave me a mild con-suction," Harold repeated what the medics had told him.

"It's _concussion,_ dumb ass." Sid yelled.

"Who asked you, big nose?"

Helga decided to play peace maker and intervene. "Pipe down, buckos! At least nothing serious happened! Jimony Cricket, you act like a couple of third graders..."

Sid and Harold stared down at the ground shamefully. Arnold figured it would be best to distract them.

"Did any of you manage to see his face?" he asked.

Harold scratched his head, trying to remember. "Uhh... I don't know... he was really, really short though. And he had a funny shaped head!"

"His eyes were glowing," Sid commented.

"And he dropped something before he ran off." Stinky held the item in his hand. It was small, colorful bracelet made out of beads, shells and various other trinkets. Helga's heart skipped a beat at the sight. Her face was white as snow.

"Helga? Are you okay?" Stinky asked.

The group stared at Helga's frightened expression, the blond girl at a loss for words.

"That's... that's Phoebe's bracelet."

* * *

The packard sped down 5th avenue, only slowing down for red lights and stop signs.

"Why would he have Phoebe's bracelet? It doesn't make any sense," said a befuddled Arnold.

"I don't know, Football Head, maybe he's got Phoebe locked up in a basement somewhere," Helga exclaimed.

"Guys, he could be anywhere in the city. There's no way we can find him by ourselves. Let me call my dad, he can help us," Gerald pleaded.

"The police are a useless bunch of doughnut lickers," Helga snapped back, "By the time they find her she'll probably be chopped up like a meat factory!"

"We just have to come up with a plan," Arnold suggested. "Why don't we split up for now and search the city?"

"As intelligent as that sounds, _Arnoldo_, we'll be easier targets by ourselves. We're stronger as a group."

"Well then, what do you suggest we do?"

Helga paused for a minute. "Turn around," she said after a while. "I think I have an idea."

* * *

A pretty young brunette screamed at the top of her lungs while perched on her expensive balcony two stories up.

"Get AWAY from me, you obnoxious little creep!"

Thaddeus Curly Gammelthorpe was on one knee with a dozen roses. He gave the girl a twisted, yet adorable smile.

Curly was still short, but puberty had given him handsome features and a deep voice. He had ditched his glasses in the 7th grade and replaced them with thick contact lenses, showing off his dark brown eyes. His hair was wild and unkempt, and his muscles were strong and defined. If it wasn't for his borderline personality, he would have all the girls chasing after him.

However, he only had eyes for Rhonda. Rhonda had been the apple of his eye for nearly six years. It was no surprise; she was one of the prettiest girls in the school. Her black hair was long and straight, and her body was curvy, yet slim. She was still a major snob, and had claimed the top of the popularity chain a long time ago, but nonetheless Curly was absolutely and undeniably in love with her.

"Rhonda, my darling," he serenaded from the sidewalk, "if only you would put look past your feeble prejudices and accept the fact that we are destined to be SOUL MATES!"

Rhonda had a look of pure disgust all over her face. "I am NOT your "darling", and I am NOT your soul mate! Now get off my property and stop acting like a stalker FREAK!"

Curly was unfazed by her words. They only motivated him to move in closer and stand on the edge of her stoop.

"Someday you'll see things my way, my pretty little cherry blossom," he recited, pushing her anger even further towards the edge.

Rhonda's teeth were clenched, and her hands gripped the ledge of the balcony so hard her knuckles turned white.

"Go AWAY Curly! Before I call my daddy and have him throw you out!"

"Your dad's not here, sweet thing, and neither is your mom! They got on a plane hours ago and are probably halfway to Kalamazoo right now! MWAHAHAHA!"

"W-wh-what!?! How did you know that?"

"I'm a stalker freak, remember?"

Curly flashed his pearly whites again, and Rhonda was almost sick to her stomach. Although she would never say it out loud, there was something kind of... charming about Curly's smile. And his way of valuing courtship in a world where gentlemen are nearly impossible to find. She absolutely hated to admit it, but she did have a tiny itsy bitsy teeny weeny crush on the deranged little maniac. But of course, there was no way she'd ever act on those feelings.

... Right?

"Alright, that's it! I'm coming down there and throwing you out myself"

"I'll be waiting for you, turtle dove!"

Rhonda scoffed and stomped downstairs as fast as she could, knocking down numerous paintings off her walls and breaking a valuable vase. She opened her front door and came face to face with Curly, his lips puffed out and ready for a kiss. She shoved him backwards and watched him fall down the stoop, laughing evilly on the inside. Curly hit the sidewalk hard, but was not to be defeated so easily. He stood up and continued his romantic gestures.

"My sweet, precious buttertart, why must you play hard to get? Why hide your feelings of love when we could make harmonious, beautiful music together?"

"Because I have no love for you, you disgusting worm!"

Curly's eyes welled up with tears. "You're... you're lying!"

Rhonda crossed her arms and scowled at the dark-haired boy. "Rhonda Llyod-Wellington never lies about love."

There was a loud crash from around the corner. Both teens turned their heads to see what it was.

"What was that!?" Rhonda asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, if it attacks you, Lord help me, I will protect you with all my might!"

"Oh shut up, Curly! You couldn't protect a flea if it was-"

She was interrupted by a cold hand grasping her arm. She squeezed her eyes shut, slowly turning around and afraid of what she was about to see. One eye opened, and she saw a short, dark figure holding on to her arm like a child would on its mother. Its hand was clammy, freezing cold and sweating like a pig. Rhonda was horrified beyond words.

"Please... help me..." it wheezed.

Curly didn't waste a second. He let out a battle cry, grabbed the nearest object, and proceeded to ambush the figure before it hurt his beloved Rhonda. However, he didn't quite think it through, and ended up falling right on one of the steps of the stoop, cracking his head open and knocking himself unconscious.

Rhonda screeched. "CURLY! No!"

Pushing the figure away, she knelt down beside the injured boy and cradled him in her arms.

"Curly... Curly... wake up! Please wake up! CURLY!"

His eyes stayed shut. Rhonda gave the figure the evilest, meanest look she could muster.

"You... you did this to him! Get out! GET OUT!"

The figure shriveled back into the shadows and ran off, leaving the two unlikely lovers alone to recover.

* * *

"Helga, where on earth did you get all these black clothes? And why in God's name do you need them?"

"You don't want to know, Geraldo... you don't want to know."

Arnold, Helga and Gerald were dressed in black from head to toe. Helga wore a black tank, with a matching skirt and tube socks to go with. Arnold wore a black sweater with black pants. And Gerald wore a black jumpsuit. They had gone back to Helga's to grab some search and rescue equipment and currently had a flashlight, some mace, a long piece of rope, sticky suction cups, and numchucks, all conveniently placed inside a portable black backpack. They were ready to begin their quest.

"You sure this is gonna work, Helga?"

"I'm positive. I've done this a million times before."

"You've dressed up as a ninja, sneaked around the city with a bunch of random crap, looking for your best friend a million times before?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Arnold and Helga smiled at each other, soon followed by Gerald.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find my girlfriend!"

They climbed into the packard once more, and headed off to the city one last time.

* * *

_They sat on his roof together, an uncomfortable silence filling the air. Helga sat with her legs curled up to her chest and her arms around her knees. She didn't notice, but he was watching her._

_"So," he began, "Why did you decide to... walk over here?"_

_Helga answered without looking at him. "I don't know, just felt like it."_

_He paused._

_"There's got to be a real reason. People don't just go on random walks to their classmates houses at 3 in the morning."_

_"It's nothing, Arnoldo. Not a big deal."_

_He could tell something was upsetting her, and so help him, he would find out what that was. "It is a big deal if it's affecting you this much."_

_"Crimony, everyday it's the same damn thing! I can't get an ounce of respect from them, it's like I don't even exist! Why did they even bother having me if they were just going to ignore me all the time? Always talking about how I never do anything worthwhile, and how I will never amount to anything, and why I can't be more like Olga, and... and..."_

_Helga sighed and went back to staring at a spot on the ground. Arnold moved closer towards her._

_"You're... talking about your parents?"_

_"Yeah, well, what do you care Football Head... it's not important anyway."_

_Arnold gave her a quizzical look. "Of course it's important! Your parents are wrong for treating you that way. You deserve to be treated more than right."_

_Helga gazed over at Arnold, wonder captivating her wide open eyes._

_"You really mean that, Arnold?"_

_ He watched her intently, examining every inch of her beautiful features: her hair sparkling in the moonlight, the deep hues of blue that made the color of her eyes so distinct, her radiant skin glowing like a thousand suns. Her looks would make the stars jealous._

_... Wait a minute, this was Helga Pataki he was looking at! She was the bully, the one that always picked on him, the girl who hated his guts! She was acting so shy around him, where did her rough exterior vanish off to? __Why was he thinking of her this way? And when did she become so gorgeous..._

_"Of course I do," he finally responded._

_She beamed, twinkling from ear to ear. It was as if this was the first time anyone had ever spoken to her like a real person._

_"No one has ever said that to me before," she spoke._

_Arnold was stunned. "Really?"_

_She nodded. She blushed a little bit, but he could only tell by the angle of the moon that she was getting self-conscious. She looked really cute that way._

_"So, um... what else has nobody ever said to you before?"_

"Arnold? You okay, man?"

Arnold sprung up in surprise, distracted by his best friend's voice. He was at the wheel, and the light was green and had been green for a while. He had been too busy daydreaming to pay attention to his driving. Car were beginning to honk. He floored it and drove past the light at 50 MPH.

"Geez, man, you and Helga both... what's wrong with you tonight?"

Arnold stared straight ahead, not daring to look behind him at Gerald.

"Nothing, Gerald. I just have something on my mind, that's all."

"Whatever you say, Arnold."


End file.
